


Anchor

by Seventysixtyniner



Category: Dunkirk (2017)
Genre: Fluff, Gibson's name is Philippe thanks Aneurin, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining, as always, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 12:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12108972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seventysixtyniner/pseuds/Seventysixtyniner
Summary: Maybe it was the circumstance in which they met, where death was around every corner. Maybe it was the fact that he was drowning in chaos and strained for any sense of stability. Maybe it was just the Englishman's blue eyes. Nevertheless, the Frenchman could feel himself slipping into love.~~~Gibson! Deserved! Better! This is the story of him falling in love with an Englishman before even learning his name





	Anchor

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while! This is unlike my other fics since it takes place within the actual movie. I just love Gibson so much?? Thank you for reading!!!

He didn't kill that man. He had found his body on Dunkirk. What followed he wasn't proud of, but this was war for God's sake. He had been hearing " _anglais seulement_ " repeated like a mantra all day and the thought of being left as Nazi cannon-fodder scared him to death.

When the Englishman saw him burying the body, Philippe was convinced he was done for. He was expecting loud and angry accusations, and then a firing squad. What he wasn't expecting was kind eyes and a sympathetic smile that made his heart race. The Englishman looked young. Philippe realized that his youth likely blinded him to the reality of what the Frenchman had done. Still, Philippe had the feeling that the Englishman had just spared his life.

Maybe it was the circumstance in which they met, where death was around every corner. Maybe it was the fact that he was drowning in chaos and strained for any sense of stability. Maybe it was just the Englishman's blue eyes. Nevertheless, the Frenchman could feel himself slipping into love.

Time and time again, Philippe would look for those eyes in the crowd to assure himself that his Englishman was with him, and not face-down in the sand like so many other men were. It was stupid, he knew. This was war. No one was really looking out for anyone but themselves. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't stand the thought of such a beautiful soul being ripped from this earth so soon. That's why he carried the stretcher with him, called him down beneath the mole, opened the door on the sinking destroyer, threw him a rope on the lifeboat.

That was the last thing he had done for his Englishman. Presently, they were sitting on the beach, about half a mile away from the mole. He wasn't sure how long they had been on the beach since the days and nights seemed to have been blended together by crashing waves and dreams of life after the war with his Englishman. The sky was coated with fog, almost as if it was God's blanket to shield them from the Luftwaffe. For now, at the very least.

There was another Englishman with them now. Philippe wasn't sure how to feel about him. He had a determined expression, and looked about everything as if it was an enigma for him alone to solve. When his gaze was focused on Philippe he looked suspicious, and Philippe couldn't help but squirm and look to his first companion for comfort. For the time being, it seemed the suspicious Englishman would let him be, but Philippe didn't know how long they could coexist.

The three soldiers sat in silence. One stared sternly across the sea, one pleaded with the sky, and the third gazed longingly at the country behind him. Philippe's beloved brought his eyes down to the sand and quickly covered them with his hands. He curled his back and his shoulders began to shake. As if on instinct, the Frenchman put his hand on the Englishman's shoulder to make it still. He moved closer to him, their legs now resting against each other, and enveloped the other in his arms. The second Englishman turned away, seemingly too full of turmoil to deal with another's.

It was bizarre, but seeing his Englishman's weakness made him infinitely stronger. To have another depending on him gave him a reason to live. Thoughts like these circled in his mind as he pressed his lips to the Englishman's forehead and peppered kisses across his hairline. He could feel the tension melting away from the soldier's body.

The Englishman lifted his face from his hands. Philippe could feel his heart ache as he saw the the wetness on the soldier's cheeks and the redness in his eyes. The Englishman gave him an apologetic smile and reached up to dust sand out of Philippe's hair, before he placed his hand on the Frenchman's knee and pushed up to press their lips together.

It was cathartic. Philippe had wanted to kiss Englishman since the first time they'd met, when he had silently asked for his canteen instead of his name and rank. Philippe brought his hands to the Englishman's waist to steady him. Amid the chaos around them, Philippe thanked God he was given this boy as an anchor.

He felt the lips leave his, and opened his eyes to see his Englishman looking at him sheepishly before casting his eyes downward. He muttered what sounded like an apology and laid down on his side a few feet from the Frenchman. Philippe followed suit, facing the Englishman still. About three feet now separated the two. Other the resting Englishman's form, he could see the other soldier's back and he continued to stare into the Channel, content on trying to solve whatever mystery was in his head. Philippe prayed the soldier didn't know about him.

Philippe, devastated to be alone, reached out his hand and rested it on the sand, eyes gazing intently at the Englishman's face. He soon felt fingers brushing against his own before they rested in his open palm. The Frenchman was no longer slipping into love, but completely drowned.

**Author's Note:**

> You can take the ending as foreshadowing Philippe's death or not lol. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!! Also let me know if you'd rather see more AUs (like a modern au???) or more within the movie :^D Thanks for reading!!


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